Focusing on Your Health & Wellness for Longevity
Thankfully I have finished my university course called Research Methods and Evaluation and I am now onto Contemporary Health Issues. I know I learned a bunch of new skills about evaluating research data, but if I can never use statistical math again I will one very happy kinesiologist 😊 Contemporary Health Issues has always been more of my focus as a trainer, and already one week in I am loving it. Here is what I have learned thus far.
Health isn’t just physical, there are many components to it. It’s the ever-changing process of achieving individual potential in the physical, social, emotional, mental, spiritual, and environmental dimensions (Donatelle, 2019).
Healthful choices increase your healthy life expectancy – which is the number of years of full health you enjoy without disability, chronic pain, or significant illness. Factors contributing to premature mortality include obesity, inactivity, tobacco use, alcohol and drug abuse.
Seven out of 10 deaths are caused by preventable chronic diseases (Donatelle, 2019). Sometimes our genes make us more susceptible to certain chronic diseases, however, how we take action to prevent them can make the world of difference.
Healthy nutritional choices
Being physically active
How we handle stress
Sleep routines
All can make a huge impact on your health and wellness.
Change is not easy, to successfully change a behaviour we need to see change not as a singular event but as a process by which you substitute positive patterns for new ones (Donatelle, 2019). This process requires preparation, consists of several stages, and takes time.
Step One: Increase Awareness
Take stock of the health determinants in your life. What aspects of your biology and behaviour support your health, and which are obstacles to overcome (Donatelle, 2019)?
Step Two: Contemplate Change
Examine your current health habits and patterns. Ask yourself the following:
How long has this behaviour existed, and how frequently do I do it (Donatelle, 2019)?
How serious are the long and short term consequences of this habit or pattern (Donatelle, 2019)?
What are some of my reasons for continuing this problematic behaviour (Donatelle, 2019)?
What kinds of situations trigger the behaviour (Donatelle, 2019)?
Are other people involved in this behaviour (Donatelle, 2019)?
Health behaviours involve elements of person choice, but are also influenced by other determinants Becoming aware of those determinants can help with change.
Step Three: Prepare for Change
This is where SMART goals are helpful. I have written a few articles on how to formulate goals here and here.
Here are some examples:
Specific: attend Pilates sessions Tuesday and Thursdays 10:30am for 10 weeks
Measurable: reduce my caloric coffee beverage by ordering a small instead of a large every morning
Action oriented: log my food into the My Fitness Pal app six days a week with the goal of ingesting 2000 calories per day
Realistic: increase my daily walk from 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Time-based: be consistent going to my barre class every week for the next 8 weeks to see progress
It’s important to anticipate barriers to change, watch out for: overambitious goals, self-defeating beliefs, and lack of support (find a good trainer!).
Step Four: Take Action to Change
Learning a few strategies can help you stick with your goals. Try visualizing your new behaviour (Donatelle, 2019). Also, learn to counter, which means substituting a desired behaviour for an undesirable one (ie: if you want to stop eating junk food on your snack break, pack a little bag of carrots with hummus instead) (Donatelle, 2019). Change your self-talk by stopping when you become aware you are negatively talking/thinking about yourself, and replace with something positive. Plan rewards when you accomplish your realistic goal (break down a large goal into mini goals and reward each step achieved). Plan for relapses, they will happen, just be prepared. Figure out what went wrong, what triggered the slip (Donatelle, 2019)? And come up with a strategy to modify your personal choices next time.
References
Donatelle, R. J. (2019). Health: The basics (13th edition). Pearson.
